Category: Sports

All is set for the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, to commission the Borteyman Sports Complex, on Tuesday, February 13.

The Borteyman Sports Complex is the newly built multipurpose sports facility for the 13th Africa Games scheduled to take place from March 8-23.

With less than 30 days to the official opening ceremony of the Games, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) headed by Dr Kwaku Ofosu Asare are working round the clock to make sure Ghana hosts a memorable event as this is the first Ghana is having the opportunity to host the continental games.

The President’s commissioning would pave the way for the use of the facility by the various sports codes for training before the commencement of the Games.

There would be a test run of the swimming, tennis, athletics, and handball venues to assess its readiness for the games.

According to the Technical Handbook issued by the LOC, the $154 million built facility would be the venue for swimming, handball, badminton, table tennis, tennis, indoor volley
ball, and triathlon.

Ghana is expecting more than 13,000 visitors from across the continent to participate and witness the ground-breaking continental showpiece in Accra.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Abidjan: Nigeria proved to be dominant side in matches against South Africa, as they beat them on penalties to advance to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)

After a one all game in regulation time, and an additional 30 minutes, the match was pushed to shootouts which saw Nigeria win 4-2.

Stanley Nwabali of Nigeria was the hero of the day as he made two saves in the shoot outs to see his side make progress.

His two saves booked the Super Eagles’ passage to Sunday’s final, whilst Bafana Bafana keeper Ronwen Williams – who saved four penalties last round – was inconsolable as his AFCON dream died.

Nigeria would face either Cote d’Ivoire DR Congo on Sunday, hoping to capture their fourth African crown.

Nigeria made the early running in a cagey first half. The lively Iwobi brought the best from Williams, whose reflex save kept things goalless.

South Africa responded in kind, Evidence Makgopa curling just wide before Percy Tau was thwarted when clean through.

The tension ratcheted after the
break as both keepers took center stage. Nwabali acrobatically denied Makgopa once more, while at the other end Williams stood firm to repel Osimhen.

That set the scene for high drama in the closing stages. Nigeria earned a 67th minute penalty when Osimhen was flattened, which Troost-Ekong converted emphatically.

South Africa were awarded a lifeline penalty instead, dispatched by Mokoena to end the game one all forcing it into extra time and penalty.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Abidjan: Cote D’ Ivoire cruised to the finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a lone goal victory over DR Congo.

Sebastien Haller’s goal was the match winner after he flicked in Nicolas Pepe’s cross to break Congolese hearts.

Cote D’ Ivoire with this have now booked a place with Nigeria in an all West African finals on Sunday.

After struggling in their group, the Elephants have momentum despite unconvincing performances, but seems to have luck on their side as Cedric Bakambu had a goal disallowed.

But Haller’s quality shone through as he rifled home to book Cote d’Ivoire’s passage.

Nigeria would prove a sterner test, especially with Haller’s former teammates seeking vengeance.

But in this form, the striker threatens to inspire Ivory Coast to their first AFCON crown since 2015.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Abidjan: Emerse Fae Stand-in Coach of Cote D’ Ivoire guided his team to the finals of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) after the substantive head coach resigned from his position.

Coach Fae took over from Jean Louis Gasset after their disastrous outing in the group stages, which saw them lose 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea.

The Coach is a post-match interview described their recent feat as a ‘dream’.

‘I am very happy, very moved, it’s like a dream,’ he told the media after beating DR Congo 1-0.

‘I told the players: you are 27 players and I count on everyone.

‘If we want to win this competition, we would win it with all 27…I’ve been telling the players that everyone is important, including those in the stands, and they understood the message.’

Touching on the game against Nigeria in the finals, he said ‘We would take stock in the next two days, we will analyse Nigeria, even though we played them in the group stage, we will see the strategy to implement for the final,’.

Dreams may become reality if the
Elephants maintain this momentum.

Fae’s rescue mission could earn a fairytale ending by winning the AFCON on home soil.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Abidjan: Hugo Broos Head Coach of South Africa has said his side deserved to be in the finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after losing to Nigeria on penalties.

The Bafana Bafana came back from a goal down to take the game to penalties but ended up losing.

Broos said his side played much better and deserved to win the game adding ‘Football can be hard sometimes, when you see the performance of my team today, and then there is penalties, and then you lose the penalties and you are not in the finals, it’s hard to accept that because we play very good game today.

‘I think we were the best team in the first half, we got the best chances, Nigeria didn’t have any chance. Second half they have few chances which resulted in a goal, and we changed something tactically, and we could comeback,’ he said.

He added, ‘We created more chances which means if we had scored, we would have been in the final and not Nigeria’.

The Belgian tactician hailed his team for what has been a great tournament for them.

‘
It’s a big disappointment for everyone, we believe we played a very good game, not just today but throughout the tournament. I’m proud of my players, the disappointment is this but the proudness is that,’ he noted.

South Africa would now face D.R Congo in the third place playoff on Saturday, February 10.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Abidjan: DR Congo Coach Sebastien Desabre has attributed his side’s defeat to Cote D’ Ivoire to the near misses in the course of the game.

The Leopards succumbed 1-0 to the tournament hosts in Wednesday’s semi-final, with Sebastien Haller scoring the winner.

According to Desabre, his players were left crestfallen after exiting despite a spirited display.

‘My first impression is disappointment, considering the course of the match,’ he lamented.

Desabre pointed to multiple chances spurned in the first half as proving pivotal.

Cedric Bakambu had a goal harshly disallowed before Yoane Wissa wasted a glorious one-on-one.

‘We didn’t take advantage of our momentum. We tried to have all the offensive weapons to equalize, by changing the system, making substitutions, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen.’

Despite the heartbreak, Desabre praised the performance and effort of his Congolese warriors. He acknowledged they faced brilliant opponents in Elephants.

‘It must be recognized that there was a great team fro
m Cote d’Ivoire facing us. It didn’t come down to much. We’re disappointed tonight; we could have achieved a better result,’ Desabre admitted.

DR Congo would now face South Africa on Saturday in the third-place game.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The appointment of a new coach for the Black Stars, Ghana’s?senior?national football team has always been a topic of great interest and debate among football enthusiasts across the country.?

Consequently, some Sunyani residents and football fanatics?have been?actively engaged in that?discussion, following the Ghana Football Association’s establishment of a committee to find a suitable replacement for Mr Chris Hughton, who was relieved of his post due to the Black Stars’ disappointing performance at the ongoing African Cup of Nations?tournament?in Cote D’Ivoire.?

The responsibility of selecting a competent coach rested with that?committee, but football fans in Sunyani believed?that their voices should be heard, as they held differing opinions on the matter.?

While some believed?hiring an expatriate coach would be the solution to the country’s football crisis, others argued?that it was time to entrust the Black Stars to a local coach who?possessed?a better understanding of the Ghanaian game.?

Mr James?Akuo
ko, a teacher?contended?hiring a local coach would bring someone who?held?a deeper and better?understanding of Ghanaian football culture and the local players.?

He added that a local coach was likely to have a better grasp of the unique challenges faced by Ghanaian players, such as adapting to the physical demands of international football and dealing with the pressures of?representing?the nation.?

Alhassan?Issaka, a?student?hoped?a local coach would?possess?a deeper understanding of the local?pool of football?talents and?ultimately lead?to improved player?selection?and development.?

He?further?suggested having a local coach at the highest level of Ghanaian football would serve as an inspiration for young aspiring coaches?in?pursuing a?coaching?career.?

Sylvester?Kaakyire, a shop owner, highlighted the benefits of having a foreign coach with international experience and exposure, saying?such coaches brought?fresh perspectives and innovative strategies to the team.?

He added?foreign coaches introduced new
training methodologies, tactical approaches?and scouting networks that could?greatly enhance?the performance of the Black Stars players.?

Rukaya Raby, a hairdresser said foreign coaches brought?a sense of professionalism and discipline to the team and pointed out that those coaches?usually?had?experience working in?highly???competitive?football?environments where?high standards?of preparation and performance?were the norm.?

She added that?expertise?could help?to?address issues such as player discipline, fitness levels and overall team organisation.?

Under the administration of Mr Kurt?Edwin Simon?Okraku?since 2019, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has appointed four coaches, Mr Charles?Akonnor, Mr Milovan?Rajevac, Mr Otto Addo and Mr Chris Hughton.?

But,?the question?being asked by most Ghanaian football enthusiasts ‘is whether the FA would ultimately?appoint?a local or foreign coach’.??

Source: Ghana News Agency

The draw for the?African Games Football Tournaments has been held with hosts Ghana set to face some tough opponents in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

The Black Satellites who would represent Ghana at the upcoming African Games have been paired with Benin, Congo, and The Gambia.

Nigeria, who are in Group B, have been paired with South Sudan, Senegal, Uganda, and Tunisia.

Aside from Ghana, these eight teams secured qualification after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2023 TotalEnergies U-20 AFCON held in Egypt.

In the women’s draw, Ghana, who were seeded in Group A, will come up against the likes of Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia.

The Black Princesses, who recently booked qualification to the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, would represent Ghana at the African Games.

In Group B, Nigeria have been paired with Morocco, Senegal, and Cameroon.

Ghana will host the 13th African Games from Friday, March 8 – Saturday, March 23, 2024, with over 3500 elite athletes from 54 countries expected to compete in
various sporting disciplines.

Source: Ghana News Agency